Ghost of Konoha
by kirokikumo
Summary: A mysterious girl known only as "Ghost" shows up in Konoha (OC). Possible Spoilers. Will catch up with the manga later. PG-13 just for precaution for later fight scenes. Better summary inside.
1. Chapter One

**Summary:** Tsunade just took her place as Hokage, Sasuke and Kakashi have been healed, and Konoha is finally back to normal after it was attacked by Orochimaru and the sound village following the Chuunin exam. Now let's see what happens when a mysterious girl known only by the name "Ghost" arrives back in Konoha. Possible spoilers. Will catch up with the manga later. PG-13 for some later fight scenes.

**AN: **Well, what can I say? This is my first attempt at a fan fiction here on Read and Review and I hope you like it! I'll try and add new chapters when I can! Please note the "try" as I have many, many hard courses this semester. But I will try even harder, the more reviews I get!

**Chapter One:** Ghost who?

"He's late!", Naruto burst out in anger. At times like these it was obvious why the blond-haired boy was called "Konoha's Number One Loudest Ninja." The boy's hair stuck out at odd angles and the orange that he wore made the ice-blue of his eyes stand out even more, though they were already striking.

It was a bright, shining day, though you could barely tell under the shade of the thick forest, save for a few glowing streaks that slid through the gaps in the foliage. The members of team 7 were assembled in the woods outside of Konoha village, awaiting their beloved sensei, who just happens to always be late...

Sakura whined a little as she agreed. "He's always late." (_Inner Sakura: "I'll show him!" -motions punches-_) The pink-haired, green-eyed girl looked very feminine and fragile, though her demeanor and personality rarely matched her appearance. She wore a strangely cut red shirt that zipped to one side with contrasting green shorts underneath.

Their teammate was a boy who wore all black, save for the bandages and pads on his legs and arms. He had matching raven hair that stuck out in the back, in an almost feathery fashion. His eyes kept with the trend of his clothes and hair and were very dark which stood out against his pale skin. The dark boy, Sasuke, failed to react to his teacher's irresponsibility. He leaned against one of the trees that lined the small clearing they were in. His face showed some irritation, no doubt aimed toward the blond boy, although it seemed that it went deeper than just this one occasion.

"I should kick his ass! I'll just try out my new technique an-" Naruto began to make a violent motion toward the nearest tree, though he was cut off…

"Shut up, idiot. Like you could beat a Jounin." Sasuke's dark eyes sent a harsh look in Naruto's direction.

Naruto's own ice-cold eyes accepted what he perceived to be a challenge from Sasuke. He rushed right into Sasuke's face, yelling wildly, screwing up his face. "Grrr... I bet I could beat your ass, Sasuke!"

"Heh heh. Wait, guys. Don't..." Sakura timidly stepped forward in an attempt to stop the inevitable clash.

Sasuke didn't move. He just looked down on this "inferior" being, just daring him to try something. "Yeah right, dead last. You may have learned a new skill, but you're still the same old loser to me. It wouldn't be fair to beat up on a weakling like you." Sasuke turned to walk away, hands in his pockets...

Naruto didn't run after him, but rather spoke threateningly to his turned back, marked with the white and red fan of the Uchiha clan. "Grrrrrrrr... Sasuke. Don't underestimate me."

He stopped and barely turned his head to say, "You're not worth my time, loser."

"Wait... Guys!" Sakura made one last attempt to stop her teammates, but too late.

Naruto sprinted after Sasuke, fist raised, feet beating the ground rapidly with a -pada pada pada- sound. As a counter, Sasuke turned and raised a kick in the path of Naruto's head, hands still in his pockets. In the blink of an eye, a girl stood in between the two, blocking Naruto's punch and Sasuke's kick with either hand. The two boys hopped back from the newcomer in surprise.

For a whole second, they all stood, just taking in the girl's appearance. She appeared to be older than them, probably by around two or three years, though you had to judge by her height and body, because her face was covered with a blank white mask with only two slanting slits for sight. She was over a head taller than any of the three, thin and well toned. Her clothing, all in gray tones and black, was similar to an altered kimono, sleeveless with slits on either side of the bottom, though there were tight black shorts on underneath, much like Sakura's own outfit. The new girl's costume was far better cut though and there was no zipper, but rather ribbons tied off in long, flowing bows. Around her waist was the forehead protector which marked her as one of the Konoha ninjas. Her leather boots went to her knees with buckles placed at short intervals to hold them tight to her legs. The gloves were similar, leather with buckles, traveling to her elbow. Long fingers were displayed, as the gloves ended at about her knuckles and metal plates resided on the backs of her hands. Various other accessories adorned the girl where her skin still showed, her skin being very pale, although flushed scars stood out everywhere, though most were hidden by her clothing and accessories. By her forehead protector along her waist, one noticed a long, thin sword hanging listlessly. Lastly, one of the girl's most enviable features was her hair. Her long, raven hair, which was tied back in a thick braid that went on and on to about her mid-thigh, though some shorter wisps framed the blank mask.

Her voice was mature and deep, though still feminine, and now it sounded harshly. "Idiots! Have you forgotten what Kakashi-sensei first taught you? How can you-"

"That's enough, Ghost-san."

All eyes turned to Kakashi, their gray-haired teacher who arrived, standing above them all on a high branch, unnoticed until this moment. It was only a moment's turning and yet, as the three Genin turned back, the strange girl was gone.

Sakura looked around, her pale green eyes searching. "Where did..."

Naruto immediately spazzed in response to the insult he had received from the masked girl. "Sensei! Who was that girl?"

Kakashi jumped down from the height effortlessly. With his hidden smile, Kakashi obviously played dumb to avoid Naruto's questions. "What girl?"

-jaw drop-

Naruto pointed an accusatory finger to his teacher. "But you just... You called her 'Ghost-san'!"

Kakashi responds with a puzzled look, though you could barely tell, what with the fact that only one eye showed out of all the features of his face. "Gho? When did I? You must have been hearing things, Naruto."

-shock-

Kakashi waved for the three to follow him as he strode off into the woods, "Now, for today's mission. Follow me."

Naruto stood dumbfounded as the other two obediently followed their master, although they were obviously irritated almost as much as Naruto. Naruto broke from his frozen stance after a moment, "Kakashi-sensei!"

Team seven, along with their master, slowly disappeared into the shady space between the trees and, even more slowly, Naruto's shouts disappeared.

A distance away, the girl deemed "Ghost" stood on a high branch, leaning on the trunk of the tree and watching the four of them walk off.

_"You have a very interesting team, Kakashi-sensei..."_


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N**: Eh… Sorry it's been a while. Heh heh… I've been really busy. But, I'm happy! I got two reviews! It was the second one that motivated me to write more! Please review! I do so love to hear that people like what I write. Oh… And by the way, I have an account at deviantart (my name is kirokikumo there as well) where I have a picture of "Ghost." I'm very proud of it, so I'd be very happy if you'd go and see it. Sometimes I'm a lot better with pictures than with words. Though a small note…. It's a simple pic, but it may be a bit of a spoiler. No mask (!shock!) and I just have a doodle in the corner that may reveal a little something…. So, if you don't like hints, there's your warning.

Oh…. And I don't own Naruto or anything that belongs to Kishimoto-san. (Bows to Kishimoto-san)

"..." speech

(_italics)_ thought

**boom** - sound effects

**Chapter Two:** The Mission

The skies were an amazing blue with only the smallest traces of white wisps in the sky. A light breeze passed through the busy streets of Konoha, past all the small vendors and merchants in the village's center. The birds were chirping and the sun was shining and it was a perfectly fine day as team 7, the blond, the raven, and the cherry blossom, strolled through the streets of Konoha.

Naruto agitatedly put his hands behind his head and gazed off into the blue. While strolling along, he mumbled to himself, "Stupid old man Kakashi-sensei... Now we're back to doing D-rank missions... Stupid dog walking..."

Sakura turned to him, finger raised in explanation, "Now, Naruto, you know the laws of the village. We're still Genins, so we do C or D missions. There's no changing that." That may have been what Sakura said, but her face surely didn't show it. Following her speech to Naruto, she crossed her arms and closed her eyes as her eyebrow twitched. (_Inner Sakura: "Smelly dogs... - **grumble grumble** -"_)

Naruto quickly changed the subject, taking on that look of anxious excitement as he looks toward the future. He practically hopped as he spoke. "I can't wait for the next Chuunin exam! I'll blow everyone else out of the water with my _Rasengan_!" (Naruto made a motion with his fist on that final word.) "I might even get to fight you this time Sasuke!" He glanced over to his dark friend with a large grin on his face.

Sasuke only returned a chilling look, though one could almost see his lips curl around the edges. Almost. His expression remained dominantly cold. If it weren't for all the people around, Sasuke had half a mind to wipe that smile off his friend's face.

A little ways ahead, Naruto's usual stop, the Ramen shop, appeared behind a sea of people going about their shopping. Naruto didn't manage to catch much of Sasuke's look before it caught his attention. His face lit up automatically. "There's the Ramen shop!" Naruto bound off towards the shop, straight through all the people. He barely noticed the path he made through them as they all turned to look. He even knocked over a shopper with a pile of packages that now covered the street. Sakura and Sasuke just stood there for a moment, staring after him. (_"Same old Naruto……")_

"I'll have two extra-large bowls of your best Shrimp Ramen!" The shopkeeper just about jumped out of his skin as Naruto jumped up to the counter, yelling his order.

"Uh… Com… Comin' right up. (_Same old Naruto…)_" The shop keeper smiled to himself. "Heh heh."

Sakura stepped in, like a normal person, and took her seat on the left of Naruto. Sasuke, to her delight, quietly took the seat on her other side. She blushed lightly before looking back to Naruto. She looked over at all his food, almost disgusted, wrinkling her brow. "You better not eat so much, Naruto. You might end up like Chouji."

XXXXX

a little later….

XXXXX

**SLURP** - "Ahhh!" Naruto leaned back groggily, massaging his full stomach. His eyes gazed upward as he thought for a minute while the other two ate.

Naruto broke the silence between the three. He spoke in a strangely serious tone as he sat back up, placing his chin on his arms, resting on the counter. "Kakashi-sensei really was unfair today." His brow wrinkled agitatedly.

Surprisingly, Sasuke set his Ramen bowl down with a small **- pa-tnk -** and he looked down at his remaining noodles ponderously. He, seeming to speak to himself, said only, "That girl."

Sakura looked over at him from behind her Ramen bowl, surprised to hear the dark boy break his silence.

Naruto didn't look over to Sasuke though and continues the conversation, his voice mildly muffled on his arms. "Yeah. Ghost... san? That's a weird thing to call someone. He has to know her..."

Sakura placed her bowl down as well, apparently aghast that these two could actually be having a serious conversation that didn't involve a mission or technique.

Sasuke pulled his hands up and placed them under his chin thoughtfully. "Her name wasn't what struck me. 'Kakashi-sensei.'?"

Naruto screwed up his face in an attempt to remember. "Ehhh... Did she say that?"

Sakura broke in, strongly at first, but then her voice spiraled downward into almost a whisper as she looked down at her hands on the counter. "What I noticed... were… her scars... She can't be too much older than us... Maybe sixteen... or eighteen even... But all those scars? She's been fighting far longer than we have. And that mask..." Sakura's eyes darkened and her eyebrows pulled together in a pitiful expression.

They all took in what Sakura said and paused... The noises of the restaurant were playing in the background. They hadn't thought of the other people at the counter as they talked, but as they each spoke in hushed tones, it was doubtful anyone would have overheard anyway.

Naruto leaned back in his chair, placing one elbow over the backrest to better situate his body to look right over to his dark-haired friend. His eyes, icy blue, were resolute and serious. "I say we find out who she is." He grinned.

Sakura looked back at those eyes, almost in shock at how truly serious Naruto could be. Sasuke's eyes shifted over to his blond companion for the first time since they had reached the shop. He couldn't hide a small look of interest.

Naruto lifted the hand that remained free, motioning as he spoke. "We're bored with these stupid missions, right? Then why don't we set our own? Hee hee." Naruto's smile widened mischievously. "This one should at least be a B rank." Once again, his eyes told them he was dead serious.

Sasuke's eyes drifted away. He paused for a moment, closing his eyes and, behind his hands, you could just see a small smile. (_I can't believe I'm agreeing to this...)_ "Alright."

Sakura's head flipped back and forth between the two, eyes in a most surprised expression, she could hardly believe that they both had agreed on something. She blushed mildly, and said, with rising enthusiasm, "O… Okay. It's a mission!"

She smiled at the boys. Sasuke just closed his eyes again and the lips behind his hands pulled into a wide smile. Naruto just looked back at the both of them, eyes sparkling, his smile growing wider, showing all of his while teeth before he practically jumped out of his seat, pumping his fist into the air and yelling, "Alright!"


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N : **Well, last time it took me a month to post another chapter, but now I'm on a binge. Ha ha. But, yes, I hope you are enjoying how the story is progressing. And don't forget, I love to hear comments! Good or bad, I don't care. Just Rate! Thank you!

And I don't own Naruto. (Once again bows to Kishimoto)

**Chapter Three:** Mask

(happens parallel to chapter two)

Amidst the dancing spots of light under the trees in the forest outside of the village, Kakashi strolled in the cool shade, hands in his pockets as always. The trees here were thicker, showing their great age. There was no path among all the roots and high grass, but Kakashi seemed to know the exact path his feet should take. Then, with a bright gleam of light off of his striking gray hair, Kakashi stepped into a bright clearing. Before him, the ground sloped forward in a great dip that must have been over a hundred feet in diameter. It looked as if a great crater had once scarred the land, though the tall grass and a few small trees masked the damage that once existed there. Coming into the bright light, Kakashi squinted and glanced around the clearing, though he did not move from the edge of the trees. He was familiar with this place, that was obvious, and now he was looking for something.

"Yo. Ghost-san. I know you're here." He called casually, barely raising his voice above its normal tone, placing a hand to his mouth to aid the sound.

"Hello, Kakashi-sensei." Kakashi turned, somewhat startled that the voice was so close. The greeting had come from a high place just behind Kakashi. Tilting his head upwards, he found the source, standing upon a branch about thirty feet off the ground. The figure stood, leaning against the tree's trunk for support, arms crossed, and the wisps of hair around her blank mask waived lightly in the gentle breeze along with the loose lower portion of her clothing. Half of her body was gripped by the shadows that hung from the leaves, making the girl look, for lack of a better term, _cool_. "Long time no see."

With one step, the girl allowed gravity to take control of her body, now off of the support of the branch. As she fell, her long braid trailed behind her. The balls of her feet hit the ground hard, just beside Kakashi, and she bent her legs to soften the impact. In one smooth motion, she rose again. Kakashi's body was facing the forest, hers facing the clearing. Kakashi's head turned to hers, two feet from his, and he was met with only those two blank slits, though the sight did not match the mocking tone of the voice that came from behind it. "What's with the 'Ghost-san'?"

The girl, 'Ghost,' was almost two heads shorter than Kakashi, though her stature was truly about average for a teenager. The tall man turned to her, his visible eye showing a look of amusement at the actions of the young girl before him. By instinct, one hand went back and placed itself on the back of his gray mop of hair.

With a mild note of amusement, he said, "Isn't it customary to give respect to your superiors?"

Ghost's arms crossed and her body took a stance as if to scold Kakashi, though her voice gave the impression that she was smiling behind the mask. "Heh. You're beginning to remind me of your old self, Kakashi-sensei. Just call me Ghost-chan as always."

The two take a moment to chuckle to themselves at their strange greeting. After a moment, Kakashi sat down heavily on a nearby log that had long been downed. Ghost, opting to stand instead, leaned against a tree just a few feet away. They both stared off onto the clearing. The bright grass there would wave every few minutes in the light breeze and it sparkled as the sun hit the blades.

Kakashi, sitting with his elbows on his knees as his hands hung listlessly, wasted no time before imploring the other for information. He barely looked over to her as he spoke. "So, Ghost-chan, when did you get back? How long has it been?"

If there had been any expression or look in Kakashi's direction, it could not be seen. Ghost just seemed to stare right off into the blue sky ahead of her. Her voice was more serious now. "I got back just as you saw me before. I haven't even visited Tsunade. Or Sandaime…. I… I've missed a lot over the past year, haven't I, Kakashi?"

She paused, seeming to expect a response.

"…." Kakashi didn't respond. He wasn't sure how to.

Ghost continued. "You've gotten some new students. _Finally_. And then the attack…." Her head shifted downward. "I should have been here."

Kakashi waived a hand loosely to brush off the girl's serious comment, as if such needless guilt was an old habit of hers. "You can't blame yourself. You were away on a mission. You never could have known."

She didn't move, but her voice drifted. "But I still wonder... **sigh"**

Her tone changed suddenly as she changed the subject and her head drifted back toward the sky. "But you have quite the team, Kakashi. Both an Uchiha and Uzumaki Naruto. That's an odd combination." Her head shifted in his direction. He could feel rather than see her eyes peering at him through the slits. "Kinda reminds me of the stories of you and Obito…." Kakashi's eye cast downward unintentionally. Seeing this, Ghost went back to her speech quickly. "Plus that Haruno girl seems to have a head on her shoulders, provided her eyes don't stray too close to Sasuke..."

"Ha ha." That brightened Kakashi up on the spot. He couldn't help himself from emitting an audible laugh. "Exactly my thoughts when I took them as my students." He scratched his temple instinctively. "They've been a real handful lately though. Naruto and Sasuke... Well, you saw for yourself."

"Hee hee hee." Her shoulders shook as she laughed quietly. Her voice was back to that almost mocking tone. "They're certainly entertaining. I wonder how well they'll work together…." She drifted off thoughtfully, though a note in her voice leaves a hint that there may be more to her words.

Kakashi caught the hint. He turned to her, eyebrow curving curiously. "What's that?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just a thought…." She responded, a laugh on the edge of her lips.

Kakashi turned, speaking a little more accusatory. "You're not the type to think out loud. What is it?"

"Nothing, nothing. Hee hee."

**Sigh.** Kakashi, with a look of defeat in that one eye, sought to get back to the previous subject. He implored, "So, why is it that you came back?"

"Ha. Very perceptive, as usual, Kakashi-sensei. I suppose I can't just come back to visit you?" Her voice had a bite of sweetness to it, though her sarcasm overpowered it.

"No. You're too dedicated a ninja. Why _have_ you come back?" Kakashi looked at her, serious this time; it was time to get some answers.

"You know me too well..." Her tone changed as well. "Well, my present mission has just happened to lead me back here. Not to mention I was called here by Tsunade-sama the first day she took office. It seems she has a new mission for me..."

"Any ideas what it could be?" This question was more forceful. This almost sounded like an interrogation.

"I have a good idea."

"Does it have to do with Naruto?" He stared at her as if trying to look right through her, seeking the answer.

Ghost failed to fold under that stare. She shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. We'll both find out soon enough, I'd guess…." She kept her answers vague, as usual.

After a short pause, she lifted her weight of the tree heavily. She spoke as she began to walk off into the clearing, though she did not turn her head. "I'll be going to visit Sandaime. It really has been too long…."

She strolled lazily in the sun, breeze pulling at her hair. Kakashi pondered for a moment before standing and calling to her, still a short distance away.

"Ghost-san."

Ghost didn't bother to stop or even turn. She only raised her arm and waved back to him. "I told you not to call me that, Kakashi-sensei." she said, mockingly.

He ignored her and asked, half calling the question due to the increasing distance. "Why do you still wear that mask? No one would recognize you now."

Ghost stopped on the spot, mid-step. She paused, head tilted to the ground.

Kakashi stared at her back which bore the symbol of her clan. It was a circle containing a triangle which further held a shape with three protrusions, not unlike a pinwheel. To Kakashi's surprise, he saw her hand move behind her thin frame to her face. She half-turned, making her face visible though her hand with the mask was not far from her face.

Her face was striking. She had a straight, well-chiseled nose, full cheeks and a strong, thin chin. Her lips were a pale pink that stood out on her incredibly pale skin. Her eyes were a dark blue and incredibly chilling, though they had a sad look to them. The lashes were long and framed those dark orbs perfectly. On her left cheek a long vertical scar dared to mark upon her beauty.

When she turned, she smiled openly to Kakashi. Openly…. Or was it hollow? It was hard for Kakashi to tell. She said sweetly, "Which mask might you be referring to, Kakashi-sensei?" After a moment, she disappeared in an instant, still smiling.

Kakashi just stood there for a moment before his hand drifted to the back of his head again and a sweat drop fell from his forehead.

"Oi. She's cryptic as always..."


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N:** Well, this chapter is a little longer, I suppose, but I'm not sure how it turned out…. I'm trying to keep the characters as true to Kishimoto as possible, but I found that to be a little harder in this chapter…. Well, I hope you all like it anyway. Enjoy.

Oh. And I now have a shrine to which I bow to in honor of Kishimoto-san, since I seem to keep bowing to him…. He is the rightful owner of Naruto.

"..." speech

("_italics")_ thought

**boom** - sound effects

**Chapter Four: **Missions

"Alright. Looks like we're done for today. You're dismissed."

Kakashi disappeared in a flash, off to complete his newest mission as team seven's present mission came to a close. They had just finished babysitting a rather ruthless seven-year-old, but they didn't seem any worse for the wear. Well, other than a few scratches Naruto had gained falling out of a fourth-story window into a tree. No one actually saw how exactly he had fallen, other than that little monster, and Naruto refused to talk about it. His agitation was evident as Naruto walked, arms crossed, with the others through the darkening streets of Konoha. The sun had just begun to set and the light filtered through the tight gaps between the buildings. Shadows engulfed the street, but as the team passed each alleyway, they were bathed in orange light.

"Naruto, come on, he's only seven." Sakura tried to console the pouting blond as they walked along the deserted street. "Some kids just have that biting stage." She sounded sincere, but that tell tale eyebrow twitch behind her smile gave away her real thoughts. Her mind flashed back to when the little creep had bitten her own arm.

_(Inner Sakura: "Damn kid!" –motions fist! -)_

Naruto just grumbled to himself, the vein on his temple becoming evermore prominent. "Stupid kid…."

Sakura gave Naruto a sideward glance of annoyance before drifting off into her own rantings. "**Sigh**. I guess have to admit, even I'm getting tired of these low-level missions."

Sasuke just nodded in his usual brooding fashion, hands presently occupying his pockets. "Yeah."

Suddenly, Naruto's expression changed. A wide smile spread across his face mischievously. "Well, we still have our own mission."

They all stopped. Sasuke and Sakura looked over to him. It was evident from their faces that they had almost forgotten the agreement of the day before with all the commotion with the brat.

The group had stopped just in the path of a bright orange stream of light. The sun's last rays put a halo around the blonde's already beaming hair. The light coming from behind him, his face was shadowed, but that didn't stop his icy eyes from glowing in their sockets. All of his white teeth were visible, his lips pulled into a large smile. He pulled in close to the other two as if avoiding being heard, although there was no one around for quite a ways. "Hee hee hee. I was thinking last night and I know where we can start looking into that girl."

_(Thinking…?)_ Sakura and Sasuke thought together, eyebrows rising in unison. Naruto had been thinking. This could not be a good sign.

Naruto failed to note their suspicious looks and still wore that mischievous grin. "Hee hee hee. Just meet me at the Hokage mountain viewpoint in two hours."

"But Naru…" Sakura had barely gotten a word out when Naruto took off in the direction of his apartment, disappearing among some of the shadows only to appear again meters away, orange light reflecting luminously off of his hair until he turned a corner and was out of her view.

Sakura stared off at him for a moment before she moved her hands to her hips dejectedly. "Now what could that idiot be planning?"

Sakura then turned as she sensed the movement of the dark form next to her. Sasuke had begun to walk off onto one of the darker side streets, taking long strides with his hands in his pockets as always. He waved to the girl behind him with one smooth motion and made a small grunt which could have been interpreted as "Later."

Left alone, the pink-haired girl felt a little lonely being abandoned by her teammates so suddenly. Although she would have liked to follow the raven-haired boy, she began her own journey home, thinking it best to get there before dinner.

XXXXXXXXX

(Not too far away)

XXXXXXXXX

**Pa-chink**. The door closed with a small noise, though the figure that had just walked through the entrance hadn't made a sound, even with the heeled boots she wore.

"You called for me, Tsunade-sama? Excuse me. 'Godaime-sama.'"

The orange light from the sunset flowed in through the large windows in the Hokage's office, stretching long shadows on the floor. Tsunade sat, back to the dying sun with her chin resting on her hand, leaning over her large desk. It really was hard to believe that this woman was in her fifties. She had pale blonde hair, pulled in pigtails that flowed over her shoulders and, in her present position, her excessive cleavage was easily noted, though her bust could almost always be noted due to sheer size. Her youthful face and amber eyes held her usual annoyed expression, which could have been expected considering all the paperwork that was strewn out in front of her. Although she was lit from the back by the sun and an orange glow resided around her, a small desk lamp shined before her with just enough luminescence to make her face and paperwork clearly visible. Along the sidewall hung the four stoic faces of the four former Hokage, watching over the newest guardian of the village they had each lived and died for.

Ghost stood before the Hokage, her raven hair reflected the strong light making the strands resemble black ash among so many dying embers. Her gray clothing took on an orange hue and her leather boots and gloves, worn as they were, shined dully. At fist glance, her scars looked even more ghastly due to the strong shadows. Should stood, arms at her sides, in one of the most formal of stances, though she held it loosely. Her face, hidden by an eerie white mask, now glowing in the light, bowed slightly to Tsunade. She spoke without the mocking tone which she usually saved for Kakashi and gave her superior the proper respect. In the end, she really was a very dedicated ninja, as Kakashi had said, and she held a certain standard for formality. However, this sometimes had the unfortunate effect of making her sound very cold.

Tsunade shifted in her seat, leaning back into a more comfortable position before speaking. "Yes, I sent for you. I'm glad to see that you came so quickly, though Kakashi told me this morning that you had actually arrived early yesterday."

Ghost's neck bent forward in a minute bow. "I apologize, Godaime-sama."

Tsunade waved a hand in false irritation, disregarding the statement. She spoke lazily, "No need to apologize. I had expected that you would like to take a look around after the past year. I must admit that I did the same not long ago, before I formally took the position as Hokage." Tsunade's lips curled slightly in an understanding smile.

Ghost didn't know how to react and simply nodded. She was surprised to hear this new Hokage speaking so casually. But then her mind wandered back to the reason she had come. "And then you sent for me." She blurted out.

Tsunade sighed to herself. It looked like it was down to business already… just when she had an excuse to get away from all that mind-numbing paperwork. She leaned forward and pulled a file from a large stack as she spoke. "Yes. I have a new mission for you. I have read your file and I am well aware of your position and your present mission, but I believe this will associate nicely with what you have been previously assigned." She opened the small folder. "The 'Ghost of Konoha.' You actually prefer to be called 'Ghost,' correct?"

Tsunade's eyes flashed from the file to the young girl before her.

Ghost nodded in response and Tsunade returned to the papers in front of her.

She took out a pen and began to write a few notes in the file, updating her current mission status. "For your next mission I am assigning you to watch over both Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. You already know about the situation with Akatsuki and Orochimaru…. We can't take any chances right now, but we don't want to alarm the boys. I'd like to leave them as they are for now, until we know more about what's going on. Kakashi will continue to train them, but I'd like for you to be there, just as a precaution. You should work well with Kakashi, judging by your history."

"Is that why I was chosen for this mission?" Ghost spoke suddenly.

Tsunade looked up from her notes at the girl with a suggestive smile.

"Among other reasons…." Tsunade then packed up the file slowly, dreading the other piles and piles of paperwork. "You start immediately. Dismissed."

"Yes, Ma'am."

While they were talking, neither of them had noticed how dark it had become. The orange had burned down to a very dull pink on the horizon, though that small bit of color was just about to be engulfed by fading shades of blue. The small desk lamp produced all the light left in the room. Ghost now made a mental note of the darkness as she turned to face the door. A sudden thought came to her. She turned back to see Tsunade looking down upon her work, her face in contrast between the desk lamp's light and the shadows which gathered on any surface opposite the light source.

"Godaime-sama." She hated to interrupt her. Tsunade looked up at her, a curious expression upon her face. Ghost's body language had changed. She stood more rigid than before, her fists held more tightly, but her body was steady. Her mask stared more directly toward the ground, rather than into Tsunade's face.

"I just have one question…."

XXXXXXXXX

(Less than 2 hours later at the Hokage mountain viewpoint.)

XXXXXXXXX

Indeed, it had been two hours since Naruto had skipped off into the distance, practically giddy about whatever plan he had concocted to find out more about this 'Ghost' and now the other two shinobi were stumbling up the steps to the viewpoint in the dark. Sakura and Sasuke had met along the way, to Sakura's great joy, not that Sasuke said anything to her other than a short "Yo," or maybe a "Let's go." As they reached the top, it was almost impossible to see anything. Sure, there were a few dim lights down in the village, but up here on the viewpoint, above everything, it was far too dark. Sakura could barely see Sasuke, dressed in black. She just made out where he was because he had a bit of an outline where he skin showed. Dark clothes or not, Sasuke was still deathly pale.

Sakura was the first to speak as she stepped forward blindly. "Now where the heck is Naruto? You'd think that orange idiot would practically glow in the dark in that suit."

Sasuke and Sakura heard before they, well, _heard_ Naruto. Right after Sakura spoke, they heard his feet move across the tile and a low chuckle from him.

"Right here, Sakura-chan." Sakura turned just a little to her left, where she had perceived the noise to have come from, and looked perplexed, not that anyone could see her expression in the dark.

"Naruto?"

"Hee hee. How do you like my new suit, Sakura-chan? Now I can really sneak into anywhere easy!"

Sakura, still perplexed, "New suit? How can I tell in the dark, idiot?"

Behind Sakura and to her right she thought she heard Sasuke mumble something like, "Idiots." Following that, she heard a sound followed by a dancing orange light. **Fwa-tch**. Sasuke lit a match and lit a fat wax candle in his hand. Undoubtedly, this was something Sasuke always had packed with him, being a competent and sensible shinobi.

Both Sasuke's cold, dark eyes and Sakura's light green ones looked over to where they believed Naruto was and they both would have bust out laughing at what they saw had they not been in a complete state of shock. Naruto was standing there, wearing a dark green body suit much like Lee's, and wearing it proudly. To make his attire seem even that much more absurd, Naruto had tried to cover the rest of him with other dark-colored clothing. He wore socks under his blue sandals, one blue and one black. (Apparently these were the only socks he owned since he was never accustomed to wear them.) On his hands he wore winter gloves with little snowflakes on them. He must have borrowed them from Iruka once as they seemed far too large for him. Finally, on his head he wore…. Well, it was hard to tell what it was. It was some dark piece of fabric that had been recently mutilated (most likely by Naruto's scissors). He had somehow then wrapped it around his blond hair and then still had enough fabric to pull it over his face and then a slit was cut for the eyes. It was obvious that Naruto had actually tried to cut the slit while the thing was on his face as he had given himself a small scratch on the bridge of his nose, though it already seemed to be healing. Sakura and Sasuke just noticed how Naruto's voice seemed a bit muffled.

Naruto smiled wide, expecting some sort of praise. It was strange. Even with the fabric, you could tell he was smiling. "What do you think Sakura-chan?" Naruto started punching mid-air as he spoke excitedly.

"Maybe now I can be as fast as thick-brows!" He mimicked one of Lee's moves. The one where he punched in front of him so hard that he was kinda stuck there while his hand shook and head nodded back and forth, mouth stretched, yelling, "Yiiiiiieeeee-ah!" Although Naruto's own punch was a poor imitation anyway….

Sakura and Sasuke just stood, transfixed for a moment in the light of the candle. Sakura couldn't help but think how truly scary it was seeing Naruto imitate Lee….

"Na… Naruto? Why… are you wearing _that_?" She smiled a little, trying to be polite, but her eyebrows pinched together in mixed emotions. She couldn't help but be angry with him for being an idiot, but she was also confused to no end why even this idiot would be this stupid.

Naruto paused in his imitations of Lee and turned to Sakura, hands proudly on his hips. "Hee hee. Ultra Thick-brows gave me this. He said, with this suit, I could improve my speed and agility, like him and regular thick brows. I wanted to try it out on our mission tonight. Hee hee."

Sakura looked to the floor. She was getting mad. One can only tolerate so much idiocy, after all. In the dim light her eyes were shadowed. "And the rest of it?" Her voice sounded a little dangerous, not that Naruto detected it.

Naruto looked down upon his own attire, somewhat surprised that Sakura had noticed. "Oh. Hee hee. I just thought—"

He was caught mid-sentence. Sakura quickly ran over and punched him in the head, _hard_. "Stop thinking, idiot!"

Naruto took a good thirty seconds to recover, gloves rubbing on his injured head. When he pulled his mask (or whatever it was) off, it looked like he had tears in his eyes. Sasuke walked over slowly, holding the candle. The light reflected off of his dark eyes in an eerie fashion. "Idiots. Stop fooling around."

Sakura was slightly hurt by this, being included in the same category as Naruto, but she quickly shook it off, since it was Sasuke after all, and turned her attention back to Naruto. She looked down on him suspiciously. "So what is all this about, Naruto? Please tell me this idea of yours isn't as horrible as your outfit."

Naruto looked up at her, still nursing his wounded skull with one hand. He looked like he was afraid she'd hit him again if he even said a word. "Uh- yeah, yeah." He cheered up a bit and began to explain. "Well, we want to find out more about that girl, right? Well, I was thin-" Naruto stopped himself, still afraid that Sakura might strike at any moment, though she had visibly calmed. He rubbed the back of his head, both as protection and out of embarrassment. "**ehem**. I mean, there's only one place in the village where you can find a scroll on just about everything and anyone."

"Oh no. Naruto... You don't mean..." Sakura realized what he meant before he even had to say it and she dreaded his answer.

Naruto's mischievous smile returned brilliantly. "Hee hee. Yes. We break into the Hokage's office building and root through the scrolls. There's gotta be something there." Naruto's eyes were wide with excitement and the reflection of the candle before him made it look like his eyes really were burning. His best imitation of Fuzzy brows yet.

Surprisingly, Sakura and Sasuke held back from insulting Naruto immediately and thought for a moment. Naruto had a point…. Even if he was the only one crazy enough to even think of breaking into the Hokage's office. Was it even possible?

"But Naruto…. Tsunade-sama and her assistants aren't going to let you just walk in there. There has to be a lot of security." Sakura thought about it, but she still couldn't believe she was even entertaining the idea.

Naruto didn't finch. "Yeah right. I got in there once, before I was a genin. It was easy!"

The looks he received from his teammates were like helium in the balloon that was Naruto's head. Sakura couldn't believe it. "You… _you_ got past the guards into the Hokage's office?"

He nodded fervently. "Yeah yeah! hee hee hee."

"But what about now? I'm sure they've increased security after the Chuunin exam… right?" Sakura was really unsure of this idea. She was searching for any possible excuse. There had to be some reason why this was such a bad idea.

As if something like that could deter Naruto. "That's why I have you guys with me! Sakura, you can use genjutsu to take care of any guards and Sasuke can search the scrolls."

"And what will you be doing?" Sasuke interjected with a piercing look.

"I have to show you how to get there!" Naruto said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It took me a while to find the right room the first time. Plus, I can cover you while you're searching!"

**Sigh**. "Idiot..." Sasuke said, more out of habit than as an insult. It was an interesting idea, he thought behind a furrowed brow, and it probably was best that he searched since Naruto's knowledge of kanji was less than admirable…. Naruto had actually come up with a half decent plan, not that Sasuke would have said that out loud. "My only worry is Tsunade-sama. We'll have to wait until we know she's gone. The rest of her Chuunin assistants shouldn't be a problem."

"Are you sure this is such a great idea?" Sakura questioned uneasily, her eyes shifting between either of the boys' faces.

"Of course it is! We'll get to find out about that girl!" Naruto was as excited as ever, his blue eyes absolutely glowing.

Sakura's green eyes shifted downward. "I'm still not so sure..."


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N:** Ok... ha ha. So, I haven't updated in a looooooong long long loooooooong time. Ha ha. Well, I wasn't really getting a lot of reviews... so, I kinda let it go. I didn't think anyone was reading it anymore until I was recently accosted by one person who yelled at me through e-mail about 4 times to get me to pick it back up. So, here I am. Thought it wouldn't be a bad thing to get back to this project and finish it (a loooong way down the road). Anyway... to the story!

Oh. And the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi. -bows-

"..." speech

(_italics_) thoughts

**boom** sound effects

**Chapter 5:** Mission, Success?

XXXXXXXXXXX

Another two hours later

XXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura crept carefully through the alleyways that connected back to the main street of Konoha, just outside the Hokage's office. Night had long fallen and with it a dense silence had descended over the village. On this particular street, one could look on for as far as they could see and not detect another soul who was still awake. Lamps lined the street which provided a soft yellow glow in the pitch black which lit the streets well, but the effect hardly seeped into the dark alleyways. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were all well hidden to the eye, beside the fact that they were not hiding from any apparent someone, though should someone have been there, they would have been easily heard.

"Naruto, you're standing too close! Ouch! That was my foot!" Sakura hissed at Naruto, at least putting some effort into keeping her voice down.

"Sorry Sakura-chan!"

"Would you keep it down!" Sakura hissed again when Naruto spoke far too loudly. The sound resonated lightly off of the brick walls surrounding them. The three were lined up, pinned against the wall, staring intently at the building just across the street: the Hokage's office building. Sasuke was in the lead, Sakura following close behind with Naruto forced to follow behind after he had gone home and changed out of that ridiculous outfit, of course. Surprisingly enough, Naruto's orange outfit could blend in well enough in the dark, especially when they were surrounded by the rich earthy tones of the brick. In front, Sasuke was careful to stay just out of the lamplight where he also had a very good view of the Office's main entrance. In all that black, it would be almost impossible to see him when away from the light.

"Naruto! Back off already before you step on my foo- Ow!" "Sorry!" "Be quie-"

"Shhh!"

Sasuke quickly silenced the two behind him. As they had been bickering, his eyes had not moved from the main entrance of the Hokage's Office building and just now it appeared that something was moving just beyond the glass. A certain… tipsy something.

After a moment, one of Tsunade's Chuunin assistants appeared, stepping outside to hold the door open. "Godaime-sama, are you sure you're ok to walk home?"

"Fine, fine. Hee hee hee. I've drank pleeeenty more than thissss and lebeled a whole housse before! Nyaaa hahahaha!" As the Hokage emerged into the lamplight, it was obvious that she had had quite a bit to drink. When she walked, it was hardly a straight line and her speech was slurred, even if her sentences were still coherent. Of course, the sake bottle which she clutched in her hand was probably far more incriminating than anything else.

"Heh." From a distance it was hard to tell, but Sasuke was certain that he saw a bead of sweat roll down the assistant's face. Or was that because he had a similar sweat drop? No one could deny that the Godaime could be very frightening, _especially_ when drunk and her sense of reason was hindered.

And so, Tsunade stumbled off, lit and then in shadow as she walked beneath the street lamps. Her assistant just stood there, watching her for a moment before he turned to return to his post with a short sigh of "Scary…."

In the ally, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura had long been silent as the scene played out before them. Their bodies tensed visibly. This was it…. Tsunade was just still in sight in the distance bobbing under the yellow light when Sasuke raised his hand and signaled to the others. They each ran out of the ally and across the street, throwing their backs against the brick wall of the building, trying to stay out of the light as much as possible and keeping out of eyesight of the glass doors. Sasuke then gave Sakura a nod, which she returned with a great look of determination. She performed a few hand-seals and whispered the name of an attack that not even Sasuke or Naruto, on either side of her, could make out, much less those just inside the door. Suddenly, a fine powder that floated like mist began to drift from Sakura's mouth, which, strangely enough, held a light scent of Sakura blossoms. Though it floated, it didn't seem to do so freely. As Naruto and Sasuke each placed their hands over their faces to avoid the effects of the powder, it blew, fully under Sakura's control, toward the glass doors and traveled right underneath of them. After a few moments, Sasuke's ears, well trained at picking up the faintest of sounds, caught the sound of several dull thuds from just inside the building. He raised his hand to stop Sakura, who was visibly tiring from the genjutsu.

------

A distance away, Tsunade stopped mid-stumble and turned back to look at the street behind her. She just stared for a moment with a quizzical look, distorted slightly by her alcohol level. After a second she just shrugged her shoulders and continued along her way. She thought she sensed something… but who cared just now.

------

The door barely made a noise after team 7 walked into the lobby of the office. On the floor, five of the Chuunin assistants lay sleeping, unaware that three Genin had gotten into the building.

"Check each of them." Sasuke commanded quietly as he stared down at the nearest Chuunin. Naruto's face contorted in irritation. He obviously didn't like taking orders from Sasuke, but this really wasn't the time to be fighting when you're infiltrating an important government building with a lot of classified information. So, he obediently went to check, making sure each person was asleep without any doubt. Then they all met back in the center of the room.

Sasuke continued to command, looking Sakura straight in the eye. "Sakura, you stay here and watch over the assistants. Your job is done. You've already used a lot of chakra."

Sakura returned the same determined nod as before. "The genjutsu should have affected the whole building. You shouldn't run into anyone."

Sasuke gave his own quick nod and then shifted his eyes to Naruto. "Let's go."

Now Naruto was in the lead, which made him happier than he'd ever care to admit. He knew the building far better, both because he had snuck in and because he was brought to be punished by the Sandaime so many times when he was in the academy. Most of the halls they passed through, quickly and quietly, were very dark, save for a dull light here and there. Very few people were working now, only the midnight shift which cleaned up a few files over the course of the night before they were needed again the next morning. Every once in a while Naruto and Sasuke would pass one of those unfortunate souls who had been knocked out by Sakura's jutsu.

It was only a short while before they came upon their first destination, the Hokage's office. It was decided previously that this would be the first place to look, seeing as Tsunade would often leave files strewn about her office, left for Shizune to clean up, which would be far easier to get to as opposed to any locked or guarded records.

Naruto and Sasuke approached the door cautiously, hoping that there would be no security on the office other than the assistants which were now indisposed. They aligned themselves on either side of the door, which was cracked slightly. A ray of light laid straight and narrow on the dark floor. Sasuke and Naruto each pulled out a kunai, both obviously thinking the same thing…

(_Don't let there be a jounin guard…._)

Sasuke touched the doorknob lightly and looked over at Naruto in the dark. His dark eyes reflected a small amount of the orange light filtered through the door, as did Naruto's. He gave Naruto a short nod.

The door flew open in a second as Naruto and Sasuke rushed into the light, kunai at the ready.

But there was no threat there.

For a moment, the two boys were surprised to see Shizune sprawled on the floor, but nothing came to attack them, nothing came flying out of the corners of the room. Sasuke scanned the room over a few times before relaxing enough to place his kunai back in its holder. First thing he did was walk over to the window and close the curtain with a long sweep. The last thing they needed after they had avoided the assistants was to be seen through the window by a passer by. Naruto, far less cautious, put his kunai away almost immediately and put on a broad smile, proclaiming his pride that his plan had actually worked. He put his hands behind his head and spoke a little more loudly than was wise. "Hee hee hee. Looks like my plan worked perfect!"

Sasuke gave Naruto a stern look from the corner of his eye, "Shh. We're not out of the woods yet, idiot."

Sasuke scanned the dimly lit room a few more times. (_Something's wrong here. This is way too easy._)

Meanwhile, Naruto just gave him a dirty look and stuck his tongue out at him with a "Nyaaaa."

Sasuke ignored him and shifted his attention to Shizune. The darkly clad boy crouched down beside her body to check and make sure she was unconscious. Sure enough, she was out cold, lying with a few of the papers she had picked up under her body. Upon further examination, Sasuke noted a small red bump that showed itself near Shizune's temple. (_Did she hit the table when she fell?_)

It was certainly possible, judging by her position near the desk, but something wasn't right. Sasuke gave one last look around the room before he stood slowly and looked over his shoulder to Naruto who had stepped a little closer to take a look at Shizune as well. "Time to get to work. Look for anything that could possibly connect to this 'Ghost.'"

For a moment the two boys just looked around the room at all the unorganized paperwork. Where exactly do you start when you don't know anything about a person other than the word "ghost?"

Sasuke tried to be strategic and look for any files connecting to shinobi who were between the ages of fifteen to eighteen which were in the nearby filing cabinet. When he found something promising, he turned on his Sharingan to mentally copy the page he had read. It was far faster and easier just to collect information now and then sort through it all later when they weren't in danger of being discovered in an off-limits area.

Naruto's method was far more haphazard. He just kind of dived into the mounds of paperwork on the desk. Sasuke would have argued with Naruto not to move anything on the desk, at risk of someone noticing a moved file, but Tsunade had already created such a mess that it was doubtful anyone would notice.

XXXXXXXX

A short distance away

XXXXXXXX

Tsunade leaned against the wall just outside the Hokage's living quarters, not too far down the road from the office building. As she giggled a little in her drunken stupor, she fumbled one-handed through the small bag she had tied to the waist of her pants. Her sake bottle still occupied the other hand. Her face quickly changed and her eyebrows knitted as she dug around the bag a lot more furiously.

She took one deep look into the bag before she lifted her head again and cursed. "Dammit. Damn key."

She took one last look in the bag before pushing herself off the wall heavily with a sigh and turning around, prepared to stumble her way back to the office to retrieve her key.

XXXXXXXX

Back at the office…..

XXXXXXXX

Naruto and Sasuke were having very little luck. All of the files around the office pertained to the most recent events and upcoming missions, making it difficult to find too much information on any one person. Sasuke had found a short file on a dark-haired girl who was a Chuunin. Perhaps Tsunade was planning on sending her on a mission soon… but that wasn't too promising. The girl had been a Chuunin for a little over a year and it was doubtful that she was near the skill level of this "Ghost" who had disappeared in a second after stopping Naruto and Sasuke's fight. Plus, she had no visible connection to Kakashi which could suggest why she would call him "sensei."

Sasuke was in the middle of copying that file with his Sharingan when he heard Naruto. "Oi, Sasuke!"

Sasuke shifted his head, looking at Naruto with his blood-red eyes. Naruto waved a file in the air, "Oi, take a look at this."

Begrudgingly, Sasuke stood and walked over to take a look at what Naruto had. This had to have been the fourth time Naruto had called him over to look at nothing.

"What is it, idiot." Naruto barely noticed the insult on the end of the sentence. It had just kind of become a habit for Sasuke as of late rather than an attempt to hurt Naruto. He looked down on the file which Naruto had opened on the desk.

He read:

**Zaruki Kuragi**

**Gender: M**

**Rank: Jounin**

**DoB : June 5, 532**

**Deceased: October 16, 566**

The file went on, including the number of missions he had completed, many A and some S rank missions. A picture was also included. The man looked very rough. He was well built and toned. He did not smile in the picture, but rather stared out of it, almost threateningly. He had a shaggy mass of short black hair that stuck out in all directions at the crown of his forehead, but laid down at softer angles as it moved toward the back and on the sides. In front of one ear, the man wore one long strand of hair in a thin braid. His chin also sported a thick, short beard that covered his strong chin. His eyes were a chilling dark blue, further shadowed by his prominent brow and thick eyebrows.

Shifting his gaze from the man's eyes in the photo, Sasuke turned back to Naruto with an irritated look. "What's important about a Jounin who died ten years ago?"

Naruto looked back, a little unsure. He put his hand behind his head by reflex. "Heh. Well, this one's different from the other ones, right? This stuff is all recent, but that file's over ten years old."

Sasuke couldn't help but stare at Naruto for a moment. He actually had a point. What use would the present Hokage have for a file about a deceased Jounin? He didn't see how it could connect back to the girl they were looking for information on, but it was unusual. He took a moment to memorize the page with his Sharingan and was about to sort through the other pages in the file when the door opened suddenly.

Sasuke had been off guard for a moment while he was pondering this new information and as the door rushed open, he couldn't help but freeze with the file in his hands. To his great momentary relief, it was Sakura, but she was panting and looked very worried. Naruto next to him tensed as well, but then hurried over to Sakura when she ran in. "Sakura-chan!"

When Sakura caught her breath she stood straight and tried to speak as quickly and as quietly as she could, the words coming out in a stream. "SHH! Naruto! I was keeping watch outside. Tsunade's on her way here now! I lost time trying to find you! We need to get out now!"

It took the boys no longer than a second to register what Sakura had said. They couldn't go back the way they came, Tsunade would come that way. Just then they heard a small **thump** from downstairs and loud grumbling which sounding something like, "Sleeping on the job."

Team 7 seemed to panic, both Sasuke and Sakura turning to Naruto for a way out. Naruto looked just as puzzled and frightened as the other two and they looked around the office for any escape route. The window could work, but there was too high a chance that they could be seen if anyone was on the street.

Another **thump** followed the last one, but this time closer. Tsunade must be coming up the stairs, though it sounded like she had bumped the wall on her way.

Okay, so the window would have to do. Sasuke calmed himself and motioned to the others. He threw down the file and then pulled open the curtain he had carefully closed earlier. To his great fortune, Sasuke couldn't see a soul. He opened the window carefully and threw himself around to stick to the wall using chakra. Naruto and Sakura followed, jumping farther than Sasuke and sticking to the wall in a similar fashion. Sasuke, closer to the window, then drew a little more chakra to his hands and managed to pull the window closed just in time. Tsunade had just gotten to the door of her office and leaned against the doorframe. She gave an irritated look to the body on the floor.

"Shizune too? Ssslackers."

She then took another heavy swig from her sake bottle and then walked straight to her desk and began to rummage through the papers haphazardly. Her face lit up in the lamplight as she found her key amongst all of the clutter. Then she looked down at the file that was on the top of the pile.

"Zuuura… Zaaruki Kuuragi? What's this doin' here?" Tsunade, unperturbed in her drunken stupor just shrugged and started walking out of the door, dropping the file on Shizune's unconscious form as she left, "Yull take care of that, won't you Sshiiizune?"

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura didn't waste any time and climbed down silently as Tsunade was occupied. With a short whispered, "We'll meet tomorrow" from Sasuke, the three dispersed in different directions, retreating home for the night under the dim streetlamps.

------

Far above the street where only the smallest traces of yellow light reached, a still figure stood, long braid flowing in the light breeze. She was standing upon the building which team 7 had just barely escaped from, looking down upon the Genin as they disappeared blocks away.

"Very interesting how they work together. Maybe I needn't have interfered…." The girl called Ghost chuckled behind her blank mask as she crouched down to leap from the roof into the dark. "Although I will have to apologize to Shizune tomorrow."

With that final comment, the girl disappeared into the night without a trace.

Well, no trace other than the two ANBU guards which were left unconscious on the rooftop.


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N**: Ok, I can't tell you how much trouble I had with this chapter! I tried repeatedly over the past, how long has it been? Six months? To get back to this project, but I was blocked. So, over the past month or so I entirely revamped what was going to be in this chapter and started over. And then it was still an up-hill climb from there. --;;

Anyway, here is the next chapter. I made it pretty long partially to make up for how long I have been gone. (I'll try not to disappear for quite that long again.) I made this chapter a bit more tense and serious since it has been very light-hearted as of late, so I hope you like this little turn, though the next chapter should be a bit lighter again. Hope you like it.

-Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi-

"…" speech

("_italics_") thought

**boom** sound effects

**Chapter 6: **Living in Dreams

**Domp. Domp. Domp.**

**Pa Da Pa Da Pa Da.**

A small girl, no older than four absent-mindedly admired the great long strides taken by the man beside her and the soft sounds he made upon the earth. She was always amazed at how large and great he was, how great and strong her father was.

Right now, he was holding her hand, walking along the hidden path through the trees to the village. She had to reach a great distance it seemed just to grab his gloved hand, but she didn't mind. She loved to hang onto those big hands that engulfed her own in their warmth. She opened her eyes, dark blue like his, which she had closed to listen to the sound. She looked up at him. He was looking ahead, but she was happy, walking along with her father, her hand in his.

She looked ahead just as they came out of the shade of the trees. She shielded her eyes from the light until they had adjusted. Down the hill below her, she saw the village, teeming with people going this way and that, absolutely buzzing with activity. They were celebrating the holiday with a festival that went up and down many of the main streets. There were carts with games and food and bright banners everywhere. Her face lit up. There were just so many people! Well, a lot compared to her secluded home in the woods anyway.

Her father glanced down at her and saw the look of awe which made her wide eyes sparkle. He proudly smiled down at his little daughter, to whom he said in his quiet and kind voice that didn't match his rough exterior, "Look close, Tsuyu. This is only part of what we shinobi protect." At that, he patted her head lightly. Tsuyu was very young, but she understood. It was the same way she could understand her father even though he spoke very little. It wasn't just a thought, it was a feeling, 'I want to protect something like this, this place where people grow and live and die, a place where one can be happy to spend all their lives.'

That was Konoha, the village hidden by the leaves.

Tsuyu gave only a knowing smile back to her father. That was their connection, they always understood, words were never necessary. They were father and daughter, so alike in appearance and temperament. Both had black hair and those deep blue eyes. All of her features resembled her father's although they were softer, more feminine. However, she was paler, her complexion the one trait she inherited from her mother. She was also strong, like him. Even at four, she already could throw a kunai very accurately, quite an achievement for her age. But that was part of her dream. She wanted to be like her father. To be strong enough to protect the ones she loved, and to protect Konoha like he did. That was her dream.

All of this was understood by the other without a word. That's just how they were. Words were never necessary. So they stood there and looked out over the village and listened to the people bustling about and the wind in the trees behind them.

But then, suddenly, all the noises were gone. The birds, the wind, the people below, the noises were all gone. Tsuyu was puzzled and scared and looked to her father, but he hadn't moved. He hadn't noticed how everything went quiet. Next, her father's face began to fade before her eyes and everything went black.

Many images went by quickly in the darkness which she couldn't make out, but she could feel them. Some were painful, pitch black, while others shined and made her feel warm.

And then it all stopped, and she felt cold, but… but it wasn't the world around her that was cold. It was something inside of her. The blackness was still there, or was it? It was certainly dark, wherever she was, and very familiar. She stood there, very still, and then all at once she knew where she was and what was going to happen and the coldness inside of her grew. Then, _it_ happened.

Her hands began to ache and she clutched them to her sides. But, then the feeling spread. Spread? It wasn't supposed to spread! No! Now her whole body hurt and she was on her knees. At first it was an ache, but then it got worse. Now, it felt like knives! She tried to stand, to go get help, to go get her father. She failed the first time, but the second time, she managed to stand on her own legs. She struggled as she tried to move through the hall. Wait! She knew what was going to happen, but she couldn't stop herself. Her body had to do this; she had to live it again.

The pain surged up again and she collapsed against the wall. She couldn't move anymore, it was simply impossible through the pain. So, she screamed. She screamed for her Father.

But then everything started coming apart. Everything in front of her eyes, all that she knew was there in the darkness started falling down around her. And then there was her father, just a few feet away in the dark. He was screaming too, but she couldn't make it out. Everything was falling to pieces; everything was growing darker than it already was. She couldn't see her father anymore and she screamed.

"Daddy!"

Tsuyu woke up with a start. She was panting, gulping down air, as if she really had been screaming. She wiped her forehead and found that she was covered in an eerie cold sweat. Her whole body felt weak.

As she propped herself up a little better against the trunk and calmed her breathing, she noticed that she still felt cold, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she had slept in a tree all night. This cold was inside her. She looked down at her gloved hands next and saw that they were trembling harshly. She wrung her hands repeatedly until she took notice of something. On the back of her hands, carved into the plates were symbols, symbols greatly similar to the sign which adorned her back, only they were more detailed. She lost herself in them, studying each line and angle, even though her hands still shook.

(_Why? Why did I have to have that dream?_)

It was the call of a bird that brought her back to life. In the dull light she looked up and found the origin of the sound just above her, perched farther up the tree, and it, oddly enough, was looking back. The bird, red-breasted and shining, fluffed itself and dropped one lone feather on her lap. She knew what this meant. It was a call from Tsunade. It took a moment for her mind to come back to the present. That's right. The call must be about last night.

As she became more aware of her surroundings, she looked out over the cleared expanse of grass below her to see a very pink horizon. It was almost dawn. She sat there as the sun rose and the land before her began to shine from the new light, but she took little notice. Her hands were still shaking violently. She struggled with herself for several minutes, unsuccessfully trying to stop her trembling, clenching and unclenching her fists. All that time, her face was tense, perturbed with her inability to control her body.

When her hands had finally calmed to a low tremor she took her mask, blank with two slits for eyes and examined it carefully. She then turned it back around and placed it carefully over her face from which it had slipped over the night. As her hands fell from her face, they were steady.

She got up slowly and stood on the branch that had been her bed and looked out once more.

The tall grass in the clearing before her began to wave in the wind and each blade reflected the light of the pink morning sun. The effect was glorious. It was as if the earth had become jealous of the sea and had set to imitating it.

Tsuyu, now "Ghost" under the mask, jumped down from her perch and walked forward into the light. She began to wade through the green sea slowly, which came to her mid-thighs. As she strode through it, she extended her hand and caressed each blade with her exposed fingertips.

She was about in the middle of the clearing when she stopped. Her head turned and looked around a little, but her body remained still. A small drop slide down her chin and fell, free from the confines of the mask.

"Father," she said softly.

With that, she disappeared.

XXXXXXXX

A little later in the day when the sun had managed to clear the tops of the trees, something orange, something red, and something blue were uncovered from the cool shadows of the morning and they happened to be three very tired somethings.

As the three Genin laid their chins upon the railing of the familiar bridge where they frequently met their sensei, their mouths gaped and they all yawned and then stared at the shimmering water below them. Each of their faces was a mask of apathy as they found that their early starts were for nothing. A messenger had been sent to notify team seven that their sensei had not yet returned from his mission, though they had no reason to worry, and that their duties for the day had been canceled. If only they had known that sooner… they all could have used the sleep.

"Now what?" Sakura mumbled. It was obvious from the purple bags under her eyes that she definitely did not get her "beauty sleep."

"Sleep…." Naruto murmured as he pushed away from the bridge and began to scuffle sleepily in the direction of his apartment. The sun may have been up, but it was still a little early for his sunny disposition.

He had barely gotten a step when Sakura reached out and pulled Naruto back by his collar. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and scary as she set a death-glare on Naruto. "That's not what I'm talking about, Idiot. I mean after last night!" Sakura at least had revived enough to scold Naruto as she normally did, though she was aggravated beyond normal capacity due to her lack of sleep. "We managed to get in and out, but we were almost caught! We could still be caught!"

"Un." Sasuke grunted in agreement with Sakura. His face had his usual scowl, hands intertwined before his mouth, but his eyes were closed as he faced the water.

Naruto just glowered at them both and muttered to himself. "You guys seemed to be fine with the idea last night…."

However, Sakura did not relent. "And now what do we do? What will happen if we are caught? Gah! I don't want to be stuck as a Genin forever!" (Another death-glare in Naruto's direction.)

"Un." Sasuke tiredly agreed again.

"I can't be a Genin forever either! And how am I supposed to know what to do?" Naruto yelled at the two, huffed, and roughly set himself back on the railing, head on his crossed arms.

They stayed like that in a tense silence for a time, staring at the water. The atmosphere around them was so dense with killing intent that half the Jounin in the village could have sworn the village was about to be attacked by an army.

Naruto, of course, was the first to speak after several minutes. His anger had faded, or at least it had changed from rage to agitation. "I just can't believe we didn't find anything."

Sakura's eyebrow twitched dangerously. Naruto's anger may have ebbed away, but hers was far from gone. She could at least speak calmly this time, "Naruto, it was a long shot to begin with. You expected to find information on one person out of all the people in this entire village in one night. Idiot…." (although speech was deliberately cold and condescending.)

The railing shook as Naruto put his fist down and stood straight. "Then we break in again!" There was that resolute look in his eyes again….

It was true that Sakura had agreed to the plan the first time around, but this was a different situation all together. Before they had tried to break in, they were confident in their skills, prepared to get caught if it meant they could find something. Sakura wouldn't admit it now in her bad mood, but she believed that, _last night_, it might have actually been plausible that they could have gotten _some _information on this mysterious girl, even if it was a long shot, which she knew from the beginning. But they had failed. By chance, it seemed, they had too little time. To try again would be suicide, since now Tsunade would know that someone had broken into her office and more guards were more than guaranteed. Also, the attempt was a bit of an awakening for the group. Sakura realized that getting caught wouldn't just result in a slap on the wrist, but could mean Tsunade pounding them into a pulp. Sakura actually doubted very much that they would be made Genin for life if they were caught, but had they been found last night, when Tsunade was drunk, there's no telling what could have happened. Sakura wasn't about to risk her life for a second trip, even if they could find some information.

So, Sakura replied, very adamantly, "No! Bad Idea! That'll just make things worse!" she yelled at him.

Naruto responded, yelling right back, "Well, you come up with something better then!"

A spark flew between the two as they stared daggers toward each other. They growled.

"Stop, idiots."

Sasuke's blunt words had cut through the tension and they turned to unleash their anger on him, but his glare made them stop. Naruto and Sakura finally snapped out of it. Obviously Sasuke was worried too, but it was pointless to be arguing just now.

Naruto turned away and folded his arms, "Hmph!"

Sakura heavily leaned back on the railing next to Sasuke. "Sorry, Sasuke-kun," she sighed, looking back down at the water. After a moment she said, defeated, "Maybe we should just give it up. It's really not that important…. She was just some girl."

"No."

Naruto had spun back around and looked like he was about to say something, but it was Sasuke who had spoken.

"She's very strong, I know it. I have to meet her. I have to…." Sasuke trailed off. He had a very hungry look in his eyes as he stared, unseeing, down at the water below. He looked strangely like Orochimaru. Too much like Orochimaru….

"Sasuke-kun." Sakura looked at him, her eyes full of worry.

Naruto looked worried too.

Sasuke closed his eyes and came out of it quickly, stood straight, and looked into the eyes of the others. "We still haven't looked into the leads I picked up yesterday. You can quit if you want, but I'm going to keep looking. I don't need your help."

Naruto and Sakura were shocked. They knew that look which had just flashed behind his dark eyes. For a fleeting moment it looked like Sasuke was slipping away from them again, back into himself, back into his memories.

Sakura nervously mumbled an apology, "Sorry, Sasuke-kun…. Of course I want to help you."

"Yeah, don't think you can get rid of me that easily, show off. I want to know too!" Naruto grumbled angrily behind folded arms. He wasn't about to let Sasuke get away that easily, physically or mentally, not that he thought about it much.

There was an odd pause in which Sasuke and Naruto glared at one another. Sasuke obviously didn't like being called a "show off."

Sakura broke in and asked, "Ok then, Sasuke-kun, what information do we have?" She was still a little apprehensive about continuing this mission, but if they didn't, who knew what Sasuke would do.

And so, Sasuke pulled a scroll from his pouch and began to write out what little bits of information each of them was to investigate. Naruto seemed to be back to normal after Sasuke's short out-burst, excited and laughing about today's task, although Sakura couldn't help but notice how he took orders a lot more passively than he usually did. She wondered for a moment where all of this would bring them but, after a moment, she put it out of her mind and managed a weak smile as Sasuke gave her a task.

XXXXXXXX

(In the office)

XXXXXXXX

About the same time across the village, Tsunade sat in her dim office even more sorry than the young Genin had been that she had to be up this early this morning. Her head was absolutely pounding from her intoxication the night before, not in the least bit lessened by the ice pack which she held to her head. Tsunade could heal almost any wound, but a hangover was just one thing that could not be treated. Next to her chair, Shizune stood with a bandage wrapped around her head though her wound gave her no pain since it had been healed. However, Shizune did look like she was very tense, no doubt because the woman next to her was shooting one of the worst scowls Shizune had ever seen at the figure across the desk. Ghost stood rigid with her masked face bowed as she always did in front of the Hokage, seemingly unaware of the knives that were shooting from Tsunade's eyes, although her shoulders did droop a little more than before. All was lit by the same small desk lamp, although a little of the morning sun did manage to reflect into the window behind Tsunade, which faced the west.

Tsunade set down her ice pack slowly as she spoke and leaned over her desk. "So you're telling me three _Genin_ were the ones who got in here last night?"

"With my help. That is correct, Godaime-sama."

Tsunade's face tensed and a vein protruded on her forehead. This was absolutely the last thing she needed, today of all days. She had woken up this morning with a pounding headache, made worse by some peon assistant pounding on her door, found out that someone had invaded the Hokage office building, not only the building, but her personal office, that some files had been moved, including a top-secret file which had information on a very high-profile ninja which was worse than moved, but missing, and here in front of her was none other than the ninja in the missing file, admitting that she had aided some kids in the break-in.

"Well, I hope you had fun, cuz those kids got a hold of _your_ file," Tsunade gritted her teeth with every word, making it very clear how angry she was, despite her use of sarcasm.

"No, I have the file right here." Ghost pulled the file, a little crumpled, but not much worse for wear, from the pouch that was tied to her hip and held it out for Tsunade to take. "I took it to make sure they did not see it."

The look on Tsunade's face was indescribable. Her mouth had dropped a bit at first, but when she recovered she looked even more fierce than before. Her head also gave a particularly hard throb. She took the file but never took her eyes off of Ghost.

Ghost did not acknowledge Tsunade's glare. Instead, she turned her head a little to Shizune and said, "I meant to apologize to you too, Shizune-san. I did not mean to harm you more than necessary. I am sorry." This was the strongest bit of emotion Ghost had shown through their short conversation. Mostly she spoke with a steady voice, speaking only when spoken to. Her mask didn't help either, as it hid any form of expression that could have crossed her face. It was like talking to an emotionless statue.

Shizune, who had been quiet until now although she was very uncomfortable with the situation, gave an awkward smile in response as a bead of sweat slipped down her forehead. "It… It's ok…."

"Well, I would like to know why you had to harm her to begin with!" Tsunade broke in angrily, a little more loudly than her head would have liked.

"Again, I am very sorry Godaime-sama, but it was a lesson for them."

Tsunade spoke a little more softly this time. "A lesson?" Her eyebrow twitched upward.

"Yes. They forgot the first lesson which they were to learn as Genin: teamwork."

"So you told them to break into the Hokage building?" Her head throbbed again.

"No, I did not tell them to do this. They were self-motivated. They do not know I was involved."

Tsunade couldn't hide a slightly puzzled look. "They didn't know you were involved? Then how much did you do?"

"I stopped Shizune and the ANBU, moved the files, and borrowed your key." Still, Ghost stood still and spoke with no emotion, simply stating fact.

Now Tsunade was far more than "slightly puzzled," "My key? When did you…?"

Ghost, "I showed you out last night as Jiroubu Aki."

Tsunade turned to Shizune to confirm this information, quite amazed that something like this could happen right under her nose, even if she was drunk. Shizune nodded nervously and said, "Jiroubu-san, who woke up in the lobby with the other assistants, did not recall escorting you out last night, despite the fact that the others witnessed him do so."

Tsunade turned back to the still girl in front of her, "But why the key?"

"I had to limit their time. It would be dangerous to leave them in control of the building."

Now that was just the icing on the cake. Not only did she decide herself that she would allow those kids into the Hokage building, but now she was throwing the obvious back into her face. Of course it was dangerous letting kids trample through her office! Tsunade knew this wasn't supposed to be any sort of prank against her, but this was getting insulting. And now the throbbing in her head just kept getting worse and worse.

Tsunade rubbed her temple and closed her eyes, looking utterly exasperated as she said, "So, you took out four ANBU guards before they could radio for assistance, impersonated one of my personnel and stole two files, your father's and your own, pick-pocketed the Hokage, myself, and then slipped out of the building, leaving the key and one file on my desk, as well as Shizune on the floor, without being detected?"

"Yes, Godaime-sama."

"All to help these kids' mission, which they planned on their own, although you call it some kind of 'lesson'?"

"Yes."

Ok, now this questioning was going nowhere. One question just kept leading to another and it was starting to go in circles. Tsunade needed to get some answers to figure out what the hell had happened, not that her hangover was making anything less confusing. Tsunade paused for a moment to get her thoughts in order while she pinched the bridge of her nose to sedate the pain in her head a bit. I wasn't helping much.

Tsunade, "Ok, let me start over. How did these kids get the idea to break in here? And no more of your short answers! Explain."

"They saw me previously, as Kakashi can tell you, and wanted to learn more about me. So, Naruto came up with the idea to look here, because of his previous experience when he stole a scroll. That was the time he found out about Kyuubi and Mizuki was imprisoned. The others followed along."

Tsunade rolled her eyes. Of course, Naruto. Only he would think to break into the Hokage office building, even if he was still a Genin. (Another throb.)

"So you've been spying on them. And looking at their files. At least you're doing your job. Why did you help them?" Tsunade continued her interrogation.

"To teach them a lesson, as I said before. I never intended to start this when I showed myself to them, but when I saw that they were beginning to work together; I supported their behavior and helped them. They need to learn that they can accomplish more by working together."

"Yeah, and you're the perfect one to teach them that." Tsunade spat out. "I think I have enough information now. I won't punish the kids, although I may ask Kakashi to have a few words with them. Instead, I'll be docking your pay indefinitely. Now just get out of here." Tsunade waved her out with that, moving her eyes back to her paperwork. She couldn't help but be nasty and hurtful. This girl had caused a lot of crap and on the wrong evening too and was getting off with a very small sentence.

Ghost didn't move for a moment and said with a sincere murmur from behind the mask, "Sorry, Godaime-sama." With that, she quietly turned and left, the door swinging closed soundlessly behind her. Tsunade never looked up and just kept scribbling angrily on the page before her, trying to write down every detail of the break in quickly so she could put the whole thing out of her mind.

A few seconds after the door had closed, Shizune had brought up the courage to speak to Tsunade, even in her current state. She bent down and spoke softly, trying as hard as possible not to aggravate her superior or her hangover. "I don't mean to criticize, Tsunade-sama, but… but shouldn't she receive a more severe punishment?"

Tsunade set down her pen and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and pinching that same spot between her eyes. By now she had seemed to calm quite a bit. "And what would that solve? There's nothing more I can do in this situation. As much as I would love to punish her right now, we need her out and working."

Shizune looked concerned, "But Tsunade-sama…."

Tsunade glared sideways at the woman next to her, silencing her instantly.

"Shizune, just be glad that she's on our side."


End file.
